Sunday, January 31, 2010

To Pass Health Care, Democrats Should Be Against It

President Obama made a point the other day in speaking at the Republican retreat to say he wasn't an ideologue, and while there was skepticism in his audience about whether that was true, there was agreement in both parties that not being an ideologue is a good thing.

Is it? Maybe the problem is that neither party has any ideology anymore -- its just all about getting the money you need to run commercials at election time, and being against whatever the other party is for. For example, why is the decision to have the trial of Khalid "Shake Shake Shake" Mohammed in New York a Democratic position, and not having it in New York a Republican position? Republicans are usually the 24 loving macho warriors. Isn't it the more macho position to be saying, "Damn right we're going to try them at the scene of the crime! We're going to make that bastard look at Ground Zero right out the window of the courtroom every day -- we're going to stick his nose in it like a dog who's made a mess on the rug: 'Look what you did! Bad dog! Bad!!'"? I can much more easily imagine Bill O'Reilly making that case than Obama.

And yet, because its the Democrats who suggested it, the Republicans automatically piss all over it and find themselves backing the opposite approach, then make up a bunch of stupid reasons why: it'll fuck up traffic in Manhattan; it'll be a platform for Mohammed to "mock" us.

Really? The big tough guys are afraid of this loser mocking us?

Blue team says X, Red team says Y. You know how the Democrats can get health care passed? Say they're against it.

237 comments:

Welcome back, well I totally agree and again you hit the nail on the head...I can't wait till your back in full motion this FEB to finally make sense of this ongoing political mockery unlike the media, I mean the reality media - they display whatever sells, besides the truth!:) Looking forward to your view and common CENT$

The chances of the Republicans getting off their by-rote obstructionist arses and, as public servants, actually doing what they are paid to do (i.e. legislate), are about as slim at the Pope attending a Wesleyan wine-tasting.

Mind you, the Democrats scoring own goals like selecting a candidate like Martha Coakley doesn't help, either; what with her being about as popular with voters as a pork sausage at a Jewish wedding.

Speaking as a non-American, an outsider-looking-in if you will, I find it bizarre that the US can't answer one simple question: "If every US citizen is allegedly equal (as the Bill of Rights and your Constitution might have us believe), then why can't the US give them equal at-point-of-need healthcare, without all the trip-up and opt-out clauses, gotchas and barriers?"

The answer, I think, is this: in the US, healthcare is, first and foremost, just a business (meaning that profits come before patients's needs); whereas in the rest of the industrialised world, it's a societal responsibility and obligation to maintain he public's health. The US, it would appear, won't do that unless someone (i.e. the HMOs) is making a hefty wedge on the back it.

Oh, and do you think there's any prospect of the words 'Socialist', Communist' and 'Marxist' not being used interchangeably and as synonyms? It's become farcical.

I think it's a lost cause when you have one side that's willing to choose their fights carefully, letting the little things go, such as where some trial will take place. Who really gives a flying fuck? What difference will the location make? If the Republicans are dead set against it, for WHATEVER reason, FINE, let the babies have their bottle.

Problem is, how do you deal with these douchebags logically to come to any conclusions that require compromise, so that both sides can contribute something to the shit sandwich?

For too long the Republicans have depended on short sound bites, like *Tax 'n Spend* so that the idiot sheep who make less than a quarter million a year, yet still vote for 'em, can remember what exactly it is that they hate with all their ignorant little black hearts.

The sound bite idiot thing has grown into a monster that is now out of control, it feeds on hate and division, and even if anyone on the right wanted to stick this Genie back in the bottle, there's no fucking way that's gonna happen.

The battle is over, ignorance and hate for anything different has won!

This once great country can't pull it's shit together to provide it's citizens with health care that some third world nations provide it's people. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but most industrialized nations are kicking our ass in health care, education and all the other shit that should be in the *good* column.

OK, now we got a president who seems like he might actually be a statesman, rather than a full time politician.

Thank Jebus, he has enough on the ball to keep the wolves cowering.

But what good is it to use what is right to keep the forces of dark in check. Is this any way to run a country?

I think its a lost cause when you have one side willing to call in the ordinance on their own position in order to deny the other side the rewards & recognition of accomplishing something... anything.

I could have spent that 75 minutes better than listening to Obaama waste much more than 75 minutes of his time making a Bollywood perfect rice paper thin excuse for the overrun of America by those nationals.

The spin turd I liked best is that he said he cut taxes for 95% of American families, because I'm doing my taxes right now... and if I don't cheat - I never do - I'll be paying 2% of my gross wages more than last years. That of course while local and state sales taxes have increased 25%, state income tax is also up & tuition is now up to 1/3 more than last year.

I'm not blaming this inflation on this president, I'm calling him a liar to his face with facts.

What sucks most is that after the stimulus is over, I'll still be trying to deal with the inflation - food up to 100%, gas $3 despite the fact that the fucking source has been secured for 5 years, higher state taxes & tuition.

The only way these no value added cheats can postpone this is by inflating the population.

Obama stated that he cut taxes for 95% of "Working American families," not as you stated just "American Families."

According to a non-partisan fact checker, that claim is true. This guy probably based his opinion on other "facts" than his own income tax return.

"MR. ADAIR: It was true. That was the one true rating we gave the president last night of the seven ratings we did. He's correct. When you look at an independent assessment of the tax cuts that were included in the Economic Stimulus Bill that was passed last February, indeed, they did reach about 95 percent of working families. So he gets a true on the Truth-O-Meter for that one."...

Ah. Then according to you I am not a liar as I proved adequately that Obama did say that he lowered taxes for 95% working sheeple, but I am an idiot because of all the working families in America who make under $200,000 my FIT was increased. Fair enough, I accept your apology.

BTW We are still in Iraq & Guantanamo, escalating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, none of the leadership has been held accountable for ordering the violation of the Geneva conventions and the girls got a puppy. Obama is a silver tongue devil so I'm judging him based on his results, not his promises. This dude still lives with his mother in law.

I may be an idiot but even I can do better than that. Speaking of idiots, Boehner needs remedial education and Bachman needs to be transferred to an institution where she can get the meds she needs. I know that if I were to get elected to the congress I could find a lot of representatives dumber than me. I would seek them out and be their leader.

I may be an idiot but I survived public school. I blame society for making me what I am!

"Ah. Then according to you I am not a liar as I proved adequately that Obama did say that he lowered taxes for 95% working sheeple"...

Not a liar, and I admit that I'm splitting hairs, but in your original claim, you didn't say *working* families, as you stated above.

The devil is in the details, and those details show that your proclaimed "facts" do not back up your assertion that Obama is a liar as you claimed he is, regarding the subject at hand.

Now, as far as Iraq, Guantanamo and a puppy named Checkers... well that's another subject, and an obvious smoke 'n mirror/bait 'n switch tactic used by the right when cornered or subjected to the truth in a way that it's undeniable.

Say what you will about Obama, because that's your right, even if your only reason is because of an insane hatred for the left, and a desire to make them appear bad, no matter what the damage to our country and way of life.

Back on the topic of reverse logic to entrap the squares into doing the right thing by convincing them its the wrong thing, I'd like to point out how well the Obama Admin is handling the Christmas Bomber propaganda.

It seems to me that this guy was some chump who got put up to it because he was gullible. I think they send fools on missions like this is so that they can create the perception of US atrocities by exaggerating what we do to the guy.

For instance if he did blow up the plane they would claim a victory, but if he failed and we kilt his ass they would call us torturing murderers and use this to recruit more dumbfucks.

As he failed and we didn't send him to a Gitmo resort, seems the terrorists are stumped as to what to say about the whole mess. They look incompetent because this pawn of theirs is obviously a clueless victim of their cruel game. By granting him the right to a fair, speedy and hopefully OJ primetime TV trial their soldiers should start to question their training & propaganda that we are the real terrorists.

It would be cool to see him testify that he has been treated well and regrets his actions against innocents.

I was reading a real book today. It described how Jimmy Carter started his administration by taking measures to reassure Wall Street, then forgot to create jobs as promised, while Wall Street inflicted usurious interest rates and inflation skyrocketed.

The parallels with '09 are noteworthy. Given how the Carter Administration cost DMC confidence for 12 years, Obama has got to change his game. He should try wiretapping, yellow journalism & blackmailing members of congress, its worked well for the RNC for over 40 years.

Until the lobbyists aka fed stop lying and spending the poor to die in wars of economic aggression, "we can do this off our own bat with no prompting or obligation" is a terrible joke.

Tom Campbell is running for a California senate. Last month when he was running for governor of California he pitched that "we can do this off our own bat with no prompting or obligation" and with the funding that is already available. When I pointed out that his being in politics for 30 years and not having done it yet makes him appear ludicrous his blog troll called me crazy & later had my post removed.

This from a guy who was running for governor last month and is running for senator this month. He had too many other stupid things to say to mention. Whatever he finally decides to run for, I will be voting against him. Not for the other candidate, against this fool.

As for the Right's ethos "we can do this off our own bat with no prompting or obligation..."

Of course they can: because as we all know, the markets alone will solve any and all crises in the American HMO/Lobbyist-run healthcare business. Enlightened capitalist self-interest will naturally respond to the medical needs of sick patients, given the industry's high levels of inveterate altruism. Market incentives will eagerly achieve what regulation, laws and human planning never can in saving the lives, and easing the suffering, of the 47+ million Americans currently denied any healthcare insurance.

Weren't we positively naïve to think they wouldn't or couldn't - what with their driving ethos of profits-before-patients? And nearly 50 million without medical cover isn't really a large number - it's only about one sixth of the US. No biggie.

As for that clown, Tom Campbell, from what I can gather, he only opens his mouth to change feet:

I'd like to see Obama put the ongoing healthcare subsidy program on the chopping block and threaten to make lamb chops if the bitches don't get real.

What it comes down to is that a small imperialist elite has usurped the democratic process and taken over the government. We need to excise this cancer or it will end the American experiment, in Bill Maher's lifetime. It doesn't matter what healthcare plan the pimps approve if it never gets implemented...

Caught your act on Jay Leno last night Bill. You were hilarious. Especially when you said Obama was elitist and that's why you liked him. That made me blow my popcorn. Then you said Obama is smarter than any of us and I fell out of my chair. You obviously have a low opinion of your own intelligence. Don't sell your self so short. Curly Joe is smarter than Obama, and Obama has a lot more stooges working for him, like you.

Obama is a complete fraud!!A straw man! I'm surprised that such an intelligent person as yourself, can hold such ridiculous political views.

On social issues I'm a libertarian, do what you like just don't tread on me. But when it comes to paying for bums to get a free ride, I draw the line there.America is about equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.

I love your show and enjoy your humor. Be a bit less leftist, that will be really "FAIR", like a true liberal always aspires to.

Thats right, Bill! You should sell out whatever ideals you may have & be a whore like Sarah Palin & Glen Beck.

Stick to your guns. Genesis 1:12.

Every real sociopath is convinced their hallucinations are reality. I notice they have kept Dick Magoo-Cheney under restraint the last few months.

Otherwise the internet is open 24/7, Andrew Carnegie never envisioned such fruit from his great endowment. Even the homeless have access, during library hours. Its almost like voting, without the criminals.

New York is broke and having a circus trial there would cost millions of dollars. Think of the reporters, protestors and the amount of security that will be needed. Those stupid practical republicans wanted to do it on the cheap in a military tribunal. If you want to point fingers at people playing politics point it at those Bush hating progressives.

I just watched your 'Victory Begins At Home' show. Fucking goddamn tight ass cheap providers, this is the 5th time. But still, this one is getting better as it ages. Perspective is everything, being stoned helps me take the time to look at it fresh.

That you were not molested by the child rape gangs at your church & school does not reflect on whether you were pretty enough or not. Its got to do with your parents. Obviously your parents were keeping track of you, probably your mom. Take it from my experience, the crooks always go for the low hanging fruit first.

They left you alone because your mommy was watching. The probability that they would have gotten caught & feared getting the receiving end of it in prison held them back. If you had say a single mother, with today's lax law enforcing 'judges', then you would have probably been molested multiple times weekly by the collaborating pedophiles in your institutions.

Lay that to rest, son. They take the ones they can get, they were probably thinking of your blonde curls while they were banging my 11 year old sister. Let the judge decide if murder is justified. Sometimes it is, and the system should be flexible enough to allow this truth. Unfortunately its not and the flex is always the other way!

The Watchman is alive! Despite the tyrants, the Kevins rock, All The Way Alive.

In "Victory Begins At Home" you said in response to a pharma ad that said "Tell your doctor... what you want" that if you 'tell your doctor', isn't he just a dealer?

Bill, if you tell your doctor what you want, aren't you Michael Jackson? Whoops!

Unless of course MJ was assassinated as the final act of a long smear campaign against him by the power elite, who may have unsuccessfully tried to discredit him for years and finally executed him because he was about to expose their heinous schemes.

My response to it was affirmative, that the zeitgeist presented corresponds well to most of my life experience & research. It was my feeling that they tied together well the things I remember reading in the paper & seeing on TV news, when these events happened. Most important to me this zeitgeist did not conflict at all with anything my family members told me.

My family, all working and soldier class nobody special somebodies, told me all about these things when they happened. Sometimes some of them were scared shitless, telling me so that the knowledge would survive them.

Sweaty fathers and uncles, sometimes smelling of beer but more believable when they smelled only of fear, telling me to remember before they went back. And never came back.

I hate war.

What they told me was in direct contradiction to what I was taught to believe in school.

So like you I don't believe what I am told either. I'm a 'show me' person. It works. Thats what it means, to be a slave.

Keep your eyes open and always hold the possibility that there is more to know than we can immediately process from what we are experiencing in the moment, that we will have a better perspective when we can compare a bigger picture of this period of time with other slices; histories.

It comes around again, and again: same mistakes, often meant to be repeated by savant exploiters.

This Keynesian regulated economy SWAT team was created by the allegedly pro-free market ultra NAZI Ronald Reagan. It was first activated by W in 2001. The result was probably the first stimulus plan, the refunding of a pittance of overtaxation to the tax payors; about $125 per head. Just enough to forestall the rotten bank pillage, till 2009. Didn't work, the boils festered over much too soon & W was caught redhanded.

Moo…

The US free market economy was dead under Woodrow Wilson. For this and like reasons do I wish there really was a Hell.

The second 'stimulus' was a pathetic stroke job to cover the real crime, the complete theft of the real American wealth. The 3rd stim that is in play is more shield, as we go down the 'planned economies' path that Stalin and Mao tried.

The federal reserve is going to activate the PPT again, this year.

To solve the economic issues, annul the federal reserve and the IRS. Research it, the USA got along for over a hundred years with neither, and even the most liberal founding fathers advocated adamantly against either tyranny.

Laughter is the best medicine and Bill Maher is the non-HMO doctor. Choose your gynocologist now, with nothing but their name to go by:

Dr. GoldSteinDr. ChuDr. LawsuitsDr. X

I like free market capitalism. Think about it. How would you like it if Barack Hussein O'Bush was the state designated comedian? There goes comedy! The Stooges made Sid Cesar work harder at his art and we are all enriched because of it.

Never mind John Stewart bitching about living in the basement while he was struggling to make it. He did make it, otherwise he would be a not quite so funny drunk living in a barrel behind a liquor store somewhere. Somewhere nice.

So why would you want your food, water, air, job, vacation, kids and healthcare to be any different? Are you that bitter, hostile and resentful of your fellow living beings?

Capitalism is a bottom up thing, the planned combine can't adapt quickly enough to anything. Look what the Beatles did to the Soviet Union - too cool.

Any central/federal government must be strongly limited. It should be less like Starbucks and more like Hookers at the Point. Consider the current state of the fed, I don't think thats too much of a change. Just take off the rose colored glasses and oh! Oh! Ugh! There it is!

Nope, the corporitocracy doesn't believe in fate, just in getting the upper hand on their prey.

Do you really think that government meddling in healthcare is going to end up any different than their meddling in car insurance, education, the environment and food purity? BTW great job regulating Wall Street...

We are forced to buy Amtrack stock, 54 years after it tanked. Doh!

Here is the future they are trying to inflict on us: vitamins as controlled substances? Fuck that!

S&L bailout, prelude to Bush bailout. You're living it and you are going to pay for it, no trickle down, no reach around. No lube either.

Since the US deposed the Taliban, Afghanistan now has the monopoly share of the heroin trade, from 17% to more than 80%. Fuck Charlie Wilson's War, do you really think they didn't plan this? Still not explained: what was the CIA doing that they got caught flying 4 tons of cocaine & a ton of heroin into the USA?

Before the government gets involved in authorizing gay marriages, they should authorize who is permitted to breed. Of course this would raise the bar so that every politician would be forcably neutered; like all other reasonable and lawful restraints on the status quo, I don't think they'll pass it. If they want to tell me what to do in my bedroom, I don't think this is too much to ask: neuter all candidates!

Just saw your recent Leno appearance and wanted to let you know that someone did in fact catch the crack about the audience's preference to hear a discussion of Jay's socks rather than one illustrating the full weight of the Supreme Court's recent decision. Best use of the "What? Sorry - I wasn't paying attention." joke that I have ever seen. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt - thanks, Bill!

I had Kaiser Pemanente through my employer through last year. Never used it, never needed it - great genes. But I got sick last summer and finally went in to the factory for repairs.

The short of it is I saw a doctor who ran a test and did nothing. I had to to insist to see another doctor, tell your damn moonlighting Walmart greeter/investment banker/doctor/drug kingpin what you want.

I was passing out when I got out of bed and throwing up after I ate. Good thing I wasn't actually dying; I got somewhat better due to natural causes, but I kept puking and having dizzy spells.

After a while I decided I needed to see another doctor and played 'tell your doctor'. I got booked a month later for an appointment a month later, so after 2 months of puking I saw another doctor. Great fucking summer.

I was 'seen' by a surrogate for the doctor. Trainee told me to drop my pants and grabbed my balls. He put his index finger & thumb around my cock. He was surprised, did it twice and snuck a stroke. With a mixture of jealously & awe in his voice he asked, "Is it always this big?"

Fucking new guy.

Wondering how many other healthcare professionals were going to hear about this, I had the pleasure of telling him that yes, it is always this big. He took another finger measurement for his fantasies and finally let it go.

I hope the fool has a complex for the rest of his life.

More tests, nothing new. Scheduled again a month later. This time I finally see the real doctor. he runs more tests & prescribes the cheapest pharmaceuticals he can, to stop me from throwing up.

By this time i have been asking around my friends and some nurses. Turns out nurses like to date me, which is good because I like them too. Nurse Betty told me that given my symptoms the Kaiser assholes not only did not give me a half decent check up, the one who did finally prescribe a 'cure' issued the cheapest pharmaceuticals he could, cutting costs to the point that the drugs issued only treated the symptoms. She told me what better, comprehensive, more expensive drugs should have been prescribed.

Nurse Betty referred me to a doctor who wrote me a medical marijuana prescription. Given my symptoms and the testimony of chemo victims, I don't think this required a great mind to figure it out. Just someone outside the influence of insurance companies.

The pot did me good; eating food products is best. The dickish posers at Kaiser postponed the possibility of an alimentary scope procedure so far into the future that I have cancelled my health insurance through them. I am working out how to demand what Nurse Betty tells me I need.

She gave me the run down on Kaiser. My insurance covers a flat deductible for prescriptions & visits, so they do the minimum to cover their legal asses and then the insurance companies reward the doctors financially for prescribing the cheapest drugs possible, because the insurance company doesn't want to pay for the right stuff. The doctors don't want to cure me anyway, they want me back again.

Now I love nurses. I won't be going back to Kaiser Permanente and minus the true dick jokes, I tell everyone I can.

Congress is broken. It has been for a long time. The following is part of an article I just finished. It would have its' own set of problem but we could at least get something moving.

...Our forefathers were a renegade band of gifted and smart individuals. They framed our Constitution insuch a way that it could adjust with time based on world conditions. They knew it would have to inorder to live on, as an effective Democracy, implementing the will of the people. It has been modifiedand it still lives on but it's the will of large corporations that is being implemented. The two partysystem made sense at the beginning and it still makes sense, unfortunately it is not working today. Theprocess has been hijacked by Special Interests. Do you think the latest Supreme Court ruling dealingwith Campaign Finance will affect the influence Big Money already has? Ask yourself one question.When was the last time a truly forward thinking “project” has been passed by our Congress?I offer one suggestion that was attempted a while ago but didn't catch on. “Throw the bastards out!”We pay our members of Congress six figure incomes, provide them with their choice of superior HealthInsurance programs (with no mention of pre-existing conditions) and give them excellent retirementbenefits. The individuals we elected as Democrats and Republicans (most) have banned together toensure their re-elections rather than doing the work we are paying them to do. The Filibuster is a fairlynew tactic (last 20 years). It is the reason many things that should have happened – haven't. It's time forUS to filibuster the “filibustors”.In all of our upcoming elections we only vote for Independent Candidates. Incumbents could denouncetheir party affiliations and if vetted (not having a history of supporting Special Interests), could becomean election pick. We can setup “local” websites for candidates to get their message out without the costof a large campaign. This structure could be used for City, County, State and National elections. Thiswould break the strangle hold Big Money has had on our election process. It would make it possible toelect people for their ideas not their wallets. The billions of dollars saved could be used for much bettercauses.I think the sleeping giant is beginning to wake. We can thank Wall Street for giving him the first shake.We have a number of problems that can wait 10-20 years to be addressed by a functioning government.But we do not have 20 years for this one. We don't even have 10 years to start solving the most criticalissue man has ever faced. If we are to preserve our way of life for future generations, the giant mustwake now and get involved. Remember what he did the last time someone woke him up?It's time to “Re-power the People.”

People people ! You can't hate Bill because he is saying it like it is!! Love you bill. You speak the "smart people's " mind. And if Mr. Obama is listening, we love you, but grow some guts for XXX's sake!!! haven't you figured out that playing nice is just not going to cut it with these Lame ASS Republicans?!! and I was thinking you were a smart man! Do you really need their approval ? I have to say we 're a little disappointed MR! AHHH that felt good!

it's like dealing with a 16 year old, right? reverse psychology for politicians...so ready for you to be back on the air to help us sorth through the massive amounts of bullshit that have accumulated since you left

It's spot on that each side just wants to be against what the other side is for. The best thing Obama can do is televise more debates, because that last one was like Lebron James taking on some third graders.

Unfortunately, he won't do it, or at least do it on the way to some substantial result, because he's already sold out. Just look at the bill if you don't believe it.

Just as the public debates the role of government in health care insurance, I've learned that TRICARE - the health care program for military dependents, military retirees, and military retiree dependents - is overpaying medical providers due to a new legislative mandate. TRICARE is a federal health insurer similar to Medicare. It insures the military community. While that’s not funny, I’m confident that you could infuse it with irony.

Under 10 U. S. C. 1079(h) and 1079(j)(2), which went into effect May 1, 2009, TRICARE was mandated to adopt Medicare's reimbursement rules when practicable. Based on these statutory provisions, TRICARE has adopted Medicare's prospective payment system – even when the resulting payment is more than the medical provider asked for.

According to my Explanation Of Benefits forms "The amount TRICARE may pay is limited by law to the lowest of: 1. the CHAMPUS Maximum Allowable Charge . . . , 2. the prevailing charge . . . , 3. the amount the provider actually charges . . . , 4. the Fiscal Year 1988 prevailing charge adjusted by the MEI . . . , 5 or the discounted charge that a provider has agreed to accept . . . "

When my medical provider charges $40 for lab visits, TRICARE allows $78.73 for each visit. My wife was charged $92 for an office visit. TRICARE approved $129.25. In each case, TRICARE's payment alone was more than the provider sought, and my 25% co-pay was based on TRICARE's allowance, rather than the billed amount. TRICARE commits me to share in their largess to my provider. Since May 1, 2009, TRICARE has been violating its payment amount limitations. TRICARE has been paying my medical provider the amount that TRICARE feels Medicare would have paid – even when my provider asked for less. TriWest Healthcare Alliance – administrator for TRICARE West Region – told me “At this time the cost-share is based on the percentage of Ambulatory Payment Code pricing and does not account for times when the allowable amount paid to the provider is more than the billed amount.”

I appealed my determinations to TRICARE and wrote to Congressman James Oberstar, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Senator Al Franken of Minnesota.

TRICARE denied my appeals and said that Congress passed legislation effective 5/1/2009 that requires them to determine approved charges by them same formula as Medicare's formula. Their determination says that the legislation does not provide provision for lower payment approvals in the unforeseen circumstances where the medical provider requests less than Medicare would have paid.

My legislators have received copies of TRICARE's reply and have told me my casework situation is closed unless I have other questions. My questions of Al Franken and my other legislators are:

1. Why would you let a government insurance program overpay medical providers because of an unforeseen loop hole in legislation?

2. How soon will Duluth Clinic start billing TRICARE and Medicare more than they have been?

You want to see the giant throw off these weak chains? If the war pigs institute the draft I guarantee you'll see the unification of everyone in the country, with the creativity & tireless energy of all the kids.

They break an elephant by keeping it tied to a 12" stake when it is a pup. When it is an adult they still tie it with a 12" stake because it stopped trying to resist when it was little. Thats exactly what limits every person you have ever met from daring to fulfill their dreams.

It doesn't take much to enlighten people to their condition and enable them to free themselves. Best to start with small things to build confidence. A guide accelerates progress.

I think you're right that people on both sides coming together is probably Washington's greatest fear. I'm not so sure, however, that the left is going to lure the right with hippie musicals.

I like hippies (for the most part), and I like musicals, but it's probably a bad place to start. Perhaps finding common ground with similarities would be better. Then we could all start compromising: the left could agree to get rid of some taxes and the right could agree to cutting back on the ridiculous budget allotted for the military. And so on...

Remind me how the left approved 1.2 trillion in banker welfare for the right in 08-09 and the right won't squeeze 80 billion to stimulate employment of the hard working people they claim to represent. Instead they are working hard to cut themselves & their friends another tax break and plan to increase the unemployment to blame it on Obama. Transparency here and now!

I HOPE that PRESIDENT Obama is eying the bloated pork pets of all the self serving criminals in both congressional houses and sharpening his budget scalpel to CHANGE some things around. Did you know that the fed is still subsidizing the tobacco farmers? Thats republican pork. So is the entire military-industrial budget, as well as all the wars of aggression they have going.

Google "government pork report" and knock yourself out making a list of elected officials who need to be investigated, incarcerated and at least unemployed.

The USA has an unblemished record of installing brutal strongmen like Saddam Hussein, Shah Reza, the Taliban AND Osama bin Laden, the Sauds, Marcos, Somoza, Noriega, etc. and removing them when they become independent, greedy or embarrassing. If we lived in a freedom loving democracy we would have an equally perfect record of exporting democracy. Go Peace Corp!

Do you think Saddam Hussein is a threat anymore? So why are we occupying Iraq?

Do you think Osama b. Laden is in Afghanistan? So what the fuck are we blowing 500B a year there? If I know Georgie boy, its the heroin... trying to get back to the 50s.

If Iran was occupying Canada and Mexico by force, wouldn't you expect our government to be bracing for invasion? Why do you think the mainstream media is presenting Iran like morons?

Why do you think they call it the fed? Republican and Democrat they are all well fed frauds, pretending to oppose each other when they just oppose the hungry natives.

In California on the November ballot is Assembly Bill 390, The Marijuana Control, Regulation And Education Act, the first bill ever introduced to regulate the sale and use of marijuana. If passed and signed into law, marijuana will be sold and taxed openly to adults age 21 and up. A majority of Californians already approve this bill.

You are an ugly hypocritical piece of shit. Who did you blow to get your ugly face on TV? You are boring and more importantly an ignorant ranting Owebama ass kisser. The best thing about you leaching onto Owebama is that when he collpases and fails and is voted out of office, your days on TV will be ended. Have a nice day.

You are an ugly hypocritical piece of shit. Who did you blow to get your ugly face on TV? You are boring and more importantly an ignorant ranting Owebama ass kisser. The best thing about you leaching onto Owebama is that when he collpases and fails and is voted out of office, your days on TV will be ended. Have a nice day."

As always, loved your new HBO comedy special and laughed my ass off watching it. When the hell are you coming to Phoenix Arizona? There is so much material here for you to work with; kick dirt in the face of Geriatric John McCain on his home turf, rip sheriff Gestapo Joe Arpio a new asshole and discuss Arizona's version of the Berlin Wall at the Mexico border. Come on man, I live here for the weather, not intellectual stimulation. I'd sell my soul for good seats to one of your shows but, the gaseous vertebrate didn't give me one. Anyway, keep kicking their ass, I love your style.

Watched your HBO special. You are giving Hillary a pass as excessive as Obama gives the Reprobates. Have you forgotten Whitewater? The list of Clinton associates who died under questionable circumstances at times convenient to the Rodham law firm is unbelievable.

Of course she's as calm as the Avon lady, you too would have no Yiddish anxieties if you actually killed everyone who got in your way.

You look well, tan and some muscles. Have you been helping your neighbors stack sandbags?

You might want to check which side of the San Andreas fault you live on, I'm sure Sarah is praying for vengeance. The hell of mental illness sure ravages its victims.

I liked your list of the benefits of religion throughout history. I'll be using it to bait the haters who are invading my turf.

Great post but your live show on Sat. night was even better - best stand up ever. We're one of those folks who have to travel 300 miles to see you (if you know what I mean) but we did. We also sat right next to U.S. military who like us, agree with your line of thinking when you broached that subject. Not really satire at that point, more like reality when you start seeing reactions like we did. Look forward to Real Time and your next post...

When they found the Rev. Aldridge in his compromising position they also discovered a condom on the dildo that was up his ass.

Would the church regard this as a greater sin, or a separate offense? How much extra does that cost? It is a "Get Out Of Heaven Free" deal breaker?

When you told this story I was imagining whoever tied him up and was anointing his God was scared shitless for a while, until they realized the cops aren't looking for them. After all, accessory to what? Apparently nothing they haven't seen before in devout Montgomery, Alabama.

He took one for the team, distracting us even now from the misdeeds of the grand ole orgy.

I LOVE YOUR HUMOR...but I lived in Wasilla, AK for 25yrs+. If u could only visit maybe 3x in diff seasons of the yr, you'd know how beautiful and sadly how representational it is of America. I'm not a hick - I've been all over the country. Born in SEA and spent time in CA, OR, OH, FL, GA, MS & MX, Louisiana. Please don't bad-mouth it w/o visiting first. I knew Palin prior to her candidacy, & do not agree w/ any of her politics, however that doesn't make Wasilla a non-destination for travel, etc. Like Chicago, we deal w/ crime, poverty, gangs, Meth, Cocaine, Heroine, political corruption, etc. If you ever want to visit, I'd take you on a special tour that would include ex-governors, senators, rep's, mayors and real people.Tawny Klebesadel 907-343-7545

OK Bill I completely agree with on healthcare (and about most everything else). BUT I just watched your HBO special and I must protest one thing: your Ralph Kramden comment. Yes, he always threatened Alice, but it was HE who ALWAYS looked like an asshole in the end. Alice was always able to make him look like a fool.

does he read these comments? and reply back perhaps? because if not, are you posting to continue a debate with other people? i was just wondering? does Bill actually sit down, pay attention and take some of the knowledge that might be shed in this blog?

I was inspired to write to you after seeing you on Larry King tonight. Because I could find no way to e-mail you, I 'm doing it this comment way. Please know that Health Care is just one of the major things that can be solved based on my vision.

For the sake of all of humanity, after reading my web site and watching some of my videos (the link to my web site is at the end of this letter), please use your great skills and tremendous worldwide impact to get this very important 30-year vision of mine to be a public discussion all over the world, one that is always in the very bright blaze of the media spotlight.

If you can't spend the time to do it yourself, at least have your staff read everything on my web site as well as watch my videos so that you can understand everything and how important for humanity it is so that you can then decide if you want to be the person and organization that gets it going for our suffering humanity.

I most sincerely thank you in advance for at least checking it out, and please know that there is absolutely nothing about my vision, the Movement that needs to start, or about me that I would want you to keep private in any way.

The essence of my vision is expressed in this one paragraph (between the lines), taken from the Home page of my web site:

------------------Help us build this very important and very strategic worldwide Movement -- a Movement to create the most important worldwide discussion in all of humanity's history, one that will empower our suffering humanity, worldwide, to finally be able to end poverty and unemployment worldwide; make every single nation and territory in the world prosperous; help both small and large private enterprises in every nation to do so much better; protect and clean up the environment; solve the energy crisis; provide the best health care and education to everyone in every nation; build and always properly maintain the needed infrastructure in every nation; provide all of the different kinds of necessary public transportation in every nation; always be able to provide as much law enforcement and security, of all kinds, that are needed in every nation, all inclusive of manpower and equipment, no matter how much is needed; end taxation for every person and every large and small business in every nation; and so much more. It's all about how to very lovingly, morally, ethically, skillfully, and easily change the money system throughout the whole world so that it finally works absolutely well for all of humanity, all of the time.------------------

Ok, this is the link to my Home page:http://www.publicandprivateenterprise.org

I equate this to Fox News, or even Bill O'Reilly popularity. Have you ever stopped to consider why Fox News viewer ship is so high? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why that "dreaded Bill O'Reilly" ratings are so far beyond his comparables? Did you ever ask why a Dem president, Dem Senate, Dem House couldn't get their agenda through? What….the media is against them?!?! Are you serious? Fox News I’ll give you but CNN, MSN, HLN, CBS, NBS, ABC….they are ALLLLLL left or hard left of center.

Can you even comprehend that left of center and hard left of center views are NOT THE NORM IN AMERICA? While you may feel "better educated" or "enlightened" and “commonplace” in your view points, the simple fact is that most, MOST Americans see themselves as center right, as slight to moderate conservative. Not hard right, but definitely more right of center than left. Poll after poll...Maybe not in your neighborhood, but this is a BIG country. Get out of your small world and meet some people in Wyoming, or Iowa…or RURAL Michigan even. Conservative almost to the person.

Until Dems realize this (and I secretly hope that is a looong time from now *wink*) they will continue to win ONLY if RNC candidate screws up and forgets to stay right of center..

Apparently you never scanned these broadcasts you claim are left of center.

As someone (with a really big head) has pointed out all mainstream media is conservatively biased. What you are claiming is conservative news is entertainment for as you also pointed out simple minded loons who have nothing better to do than consume high fat diets, chew their cud and gawk at the idiot box.

In scholarly books about history, economics and politics you have the opportunity to correctly map the spectrum in which you are claiming middle is extreme left and extreme right is middle. Scholarly means the author holds a Ph.D and the work is non-fiction research that can be independently verified, or approved thesis.

If thats too hard for you, try covering your right eye with a patch & abstaining from alcohol for 30 days. I haven't tried this myself but I'm told it works. Results may vary depending on the degree of dysfunction of your tribe.

Thank you for being so condescending to "US" American people. What are you? When you say things along the lines of "The American people are too stupid" are you not including yourself. Are you a closet Asian or something? Do you include Obahma and congress in the "American People" category? What grand title do you hold that empowers you to make an intelligence judgment on another individual? If I say you are an unequivocal fool, will most people agree? I'll lean toward yes.

This site is annoying, some of you are truly clueless as to whats happening in our government. Maybe thats why Mr. Mahr, while being interviewed by Larry King, stated that "Americans aren't BRIGHT". So what does that make you Bill, dumb like the rest of us? Or are you the exception?

I've watched politics since I was a kid and just when I thought it couldn't get worse, and we were ready for a different president, republicans and democrats became stupid. I realize many in Congress are close to retiring or should be retired so what better way to pad your portfolio then to be a used car salesman vs caring about the voters which brings me to another thought.

I look at the financial markets and ask why can't the system be as efficient as Al Qaeda. All the c-level executives live in mud huts while the workers live in tents. Cost of living is non-existant. Money, weapons and vcrs are abundant. Recruitment starts at 10 and benefits are plentiful as long as you stay alive. Talk about loyalty let alone perks, all provided by the US govt. I'd love to live in a tent with direct tv so I can watch CNN.

anonymouse here is some natural born WU, a left scissor kick to your fiction:

外匯http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTImTHOXM9w

Try not to take your selfish nature seriously, the only way out of that cage you are in is by sharing. After all you are not going to take any of this with you.

Good thing too, eh? The karma would invert you. Better to have dog named Dharma than the real thang...

Here is some breaking tube, for your consideration:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w96UR79TBw

Looks like 2 sides of the same turd, you decide. In the meantime I'm going to go try to make the world a better place by avoiding these semitic nutters and sexing the rest of the beautiful people, while I still can.

Why is it that when the few elite liberals do not get their way, they start slinging insults? I read all of the comments before I started this post and it amazes me that the ugliness of the comments against Sarah Palin are not against her political beliefs, it is just meanness. Most of you probably thought the Family Guy episode was funny taking pot shots at her family. I was raised to respect all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or financial status. I may not agree with all others but I respect their right to an opinion. But I do not respect any group or individuals that take pleasure in hurtful comments especially at the expense of a child that has down's syndrome. Surely, most of you have met someone with down's syndrome or have one in your own families. Why would you think this was acceptable or funny?None of what is happening in our country is funny...I hear celebrities such as your Maher and Rosie O'Donnell and Janeane Garafalo spew venom about the average American person. I wonder why these people don't just move somewhere else? The actor elite is not the voice of the people nor will it ever be. Your point about the Democrats making the suggestion of the trials of these terrorists in New York...If John McCain had suggested it, it would be just as appalling. My best friend was in the 911 twin towers massacre and lucky to be alive. Three years of extreme nightmares and therapy along with many others. These victims do not want a circus in New York. Let the military do the tribunal and be done with it without inflicting more pain upon the city of New York. I remember after the shock of 911, we really came together as a country, there was no color or division among people. We were all Americans. That sentiment is gone and it saddens my heart that we now have a president that cares more about the middle east than his own countrymen. Just my opinion but I hope that someone of this group will think twice before using profanity and name calling to make a point. We are still a free society at least for now and you should be happy to have the 1st amendment. Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

Didn't see Family Guy, never watched it. Abortion is a scientific method to reduce the suffering of people. Sarah Palin has presented bad policy positions based on faulty logic, therefore I regard her as a greedy person who doesn't know her limitations. She is a fool who has inflicted pain on others and continues to do so.

If that makes me a rude liberal, then so be it.

Thanks for pointing out the speck in my eye.BTW there is a plank yours.

I don't get why everyone is always picking on Sarah Palin, or Sling Blade Poppins, as she's known in my mind. I mean, the lady can count to potato like it's nobody's business! I bet with a little help from a sharpie and her left hand she could even count to potato backwards! Leave her alone!!!

I saw Bill Maher HBO show, but I am right, I don't know why people would pay to see him. He's not funny, nor was he intelligent at all. He contradicts himself, he said he don't want trouble with muslims but made fun of muslim womens clothes on the show fashion show. He is an idiot and America don't need a weed smoker like him on tv or anywhere.He is so full of himself, he thinks he's relevant but he is not at all.

Bill Maher is nothing more than a Liberal Douche Bag Peice of shit. God, I hate everyone of you fucking assholes on here, the only reason I'm here is because I watched about 5 minutes of this assholes rant on HBO about how Obama's the greatest thing to happen to America since sliced bread. This fucking guy hasn't done shit but get us further in debt.

About the supreme court ruling to grant corporations the same rights as citizens.

Tom Delay is still trying to dodge prosecution for accepting corporate campaign contributions, which is illegal in Texas. He did it, they have him red handed with plenty of witnesses, its the Ken Lay stalling tactic.

My point is the ruling of the supreme court may lead to challenging and circumventing laws limiting corporate influence and liability. Another area where there is a high potential for similar abuse is the defacto influence of Monsanto, big oil and wall street. This supreme court ruling is to economic liberty what the USAPATRIOT act is to personal liberty.

Tea party? Thats something Dickensian old broads who never actually had to work do in the afternoon. This tea party does resemble that elitist snobbery.

Here is a great shot at Becky's balls:South Park Margaritaville http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/220760

Read my lips - "if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way" Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for DeliveryAddress to Joint Session of CongressTuesday, February 24th, 2009

WEELLL whaat have we here! I just stopped in to thank Bill for Reminding me on Larry King thursday Night,,, what a tiny insignificant little part this graduate of the trailer trash education system of Chicago in the 60's who surely could not begin to understand the complexities of such in depth legislation,2500 pages created by a conglomeration of the Nations finest Minds Like Nancy Pelosi and that Bastion of academic intelligence Harry Reid along with all of the finest Lawyers turned Statesmen this Great land has produced in the last decades, plays in this Big Complex System we call The Republic!!!Thank YOU Bill Maher for reminding me once again that weeee little puuuuny insignificant voices should hold our hands over our mouths when the urge to speak up in reasoned discourse arises, when the enlightened who,, who have made such greeeaaattt sacrifice to go to Washington to do the Nations hard work, by finding new ways to take the TAXES of the little puuuny worker and combine all those pitence he toils to give Washington which becomes ammassed as billions and billions, and find new previously unfound new diversionary legislative means to spend that pitence in totally useless overfunded programs that enrich the lives of so many good and learned Politicians I mean Citizens. Yes thank you Bill for a Moment there I was feeling offended - like I would feel If I were called STUPID by the likes of that Keith Oberman, that cheap Sheakspere impersonator, No Bill being called stupid by you is an Honor I yet to Fathom, but soooon, I'm suuure, I will come to appreciate as being a higher honor then this puuny mind can at this point appreciate.

But now that I'm here the the same silly i hate you libs I hate George Bush banter I see here's the same as I saw on Obermans site Funny aint ityour all the same

The government is at a standstill because of the super partisanship that has become the norm in Washington. It’s irresponsible point scoring instead of cooperation on sound policy that is both affordable and doable that is putting not only national security but our economy and our way of life in danger. Progress cannot be made toward reaching the goal of bringing our economy into balance and solving the other major challenges facing this nation without a broad based, highly organized political movement that can threaten the status quo inherent in the two party system. What is needed is a viable third party that can put forward candidates who are committed to reducing the nation’s debt and returning to the values of the past that kept spending in line with income. In the newest Washington Post – ABC poll, 66 percent of Americans are unhappy with the current state of affairs in Washington. Now seems like an excellent time for third party candidates to step forward and run for congress in all 50 states.The party could be called the Centrist Party. The platform could be based on the ideas in Comeback America by David Walker and the ideas found on the Peter G. Peterson Foundation web site (www.pgpf.org)and other web sites dedicated to returning to fiscal responsibility. The campaigns in every district would center around bringing our economy back into balance. There exists a broad coalition of Americans who are ready to make the hard choices required to put this country on the road to economic stability. Many of those who voted for President Obama hoped that he would lead in that direction. Once a few Centrist Party candidates defeat established Republican and Democratic candidates – or even make a decent showing - the impetus for change will be greatly enhanced. Then pressing for amendments to the Constitution that require fiscal responsibility will be possible. Democrats and Republicans have demonstrated that they are unable to move forward with an agenda that successfully address the major challenges our nation faces. They have been unable to agree on health care reform, energy reform or the reform needed in our financial institutions. It’s time for a third party – a people’s party - to step forward and force the changes we need.

Please have David Walker on your show. He is not an advocate of a third party, but his ideas could form the foundation for a third party platform. Americans can no longer stand by while their leadership continues to be mired in partisan bickering. Nor can we continue along the path of irresponsible spending by Democrats and irresponsible tax cuts by Republicans.

Here is the organized protest against the banks:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/25/bank-protests_n_333155.html

You were wondering why you weren't seeing this type of response in the mainstream, corporate owned media that would catalyze a national response... answers itself, doesn't it?

Here's a story of a man named Terry, who was getting tag teamed by the IRS & banks. They took his business and his job, when they came for his house (that BO legislation should have protected), Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosurehttp://www.wlwt.com/news/22600154/detail.html

"They who have put out the people's eyes, reproach them of their blindness" - John Milton

"Regulation means that cheaters don't prosper. So instead of being bad for capitalism its what saves capitalism. Honest purveyors prosper and thats what we want. And you need regulation and law enforcement to be able to do this. The tragedy in this crisis is that it didn't need to happen at all." - Bill Black, former bank regulator & author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One

Bill Maher is a ridiculously liberal individual. He constantly bashes Republicans because he honestly believes their main intention is to take away freedom! The heart and soul of conservative belief IS freedom and liberty, also small government and the ability to run your own life with the opportunities and rights we all have been given. That's what all leftist, liberal Democrats don't seem to understand...Obama and the Democrats in power WANT to run your life for you, they WANT you to give them all of your money in taxes so they can put everyone on the same financial level regardless of education or occupation. In regards to the conversation about Sarah Palin and her mentally handicapped INFANT son, Maher and the panel (McFarlane, Sykes, etc.) don't seem to understand that the Family Guy episode is attacking someone that can't defend themselves. If someone took a shot at your mentally handicapped INFANT child on a nationally televised program, would you not be outraged?! Bill Maher, Seth McFarlane, Wanda Sykes, anyone that thought that was funny...have some tact and respect for others, especially those that cannot fight back. And Wanda Sykes, no one is attacking Obama for racial reasons...NO ONE! The reasons he is so disliked and unwanted is because he has tripled our national debt in only one year, has tirelessly worked to push a health care bill that NO ONE WANTS, and because he has done exactly the opposite of everything he promised to do! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!

To cut back on the hit and run bull shit, the tag team style of the right along with the general confusion brought here by assholes who post anonymously then expect to be treated like normal posters...

How about doing away with the *Anonymous* posting option?

This isn't cutting back on free speech in any way, unless it's the intent of the speaker to confuse things.

God bless ya Bill, I'll always have your back and I agree their are a lot of dbag teabaggers. Many think Bush and McCain are better than Obama, they're often anti environmentalist, often dumbass bible thumpers, but there's a lot of us who are far more nuanced. I voted for Obama. So did a lot of teapartyers. We began our movement when Bush and Mccain fought so hard to bailout the sheister banks. We want an end to wasteful taxation, but we know that obamas not the one who's been wasting money. We hate the Fed more than anything. We don't see Sarah Palin as a good thing. We know she's a dumbass.

You can, more than any other pundit, be the voice of these people. We have a lot in common with liberals, especially when it comes to being against war and empire. True conservatives hate unnecessary war. You can help separate the intelligent from the moron cultists in this movement. Let's refer to them as the teapartyers and teabaggers respectively. The teapartyers have more in common with you than Beck. We do love our guns, but we're relatively pacifistic. We might be wrong, but we are afraid of crime. But that doesn't mean we want to harm anyone. Overall though, teapartyers care about the environment, hate the Fed, hate corporations, hate war... Do you see where we are aligned?

I recommend you make a nuanced attack at the teabaggers, while trying to gain the teapartyers' ear. Not only will your ratings jump, but I think you could be part of a truly bipartisan, country changing movement

"Banking was conceived in iniquity and was born in sin. The bankers own the earth. Take it away from them, but leave them the power to create money, and with the flick of the pen they will create enough deposits to buy it back again. However, take away from them the power to create money and all the great fortunes like mine will disappear and they ought to disappear, for this would be a happier and better world to live in. But, if you wish to remain the slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, let them continue to create money." - Josiah Stamp

maybe the wrong venue but i have been a listener since dc cab, there is something about you man. i am 36 and not comfortable being quiet anymore, thanks for everything. unfortunately we cant see every issue eye to eye but 1 of my goals is a hour of your time, more would be better but im just not that greedy.

"Prior to the establishment of the Federal Reserve the middle class was rapidly growing, the gap between the top and the bottom was getting narrower and narrower, and we were really moving into a very wonderful system based on free market economies. But since the creation of the Federal Reserve, and some other things too might add, the trend has reversed. So now the middle class is getting wiped out. The middle class is the ones who are paying the taxes, the middle class is the one that is doing the work, and as that gets wiped out and gets smaller and smaller, there comes a time when there’s no heartbeat left in the system. The system will not have the strength to continue and at that point all we’ll have is just raw naked force: government telling you what you must do or else go to prison – that’ll be the driving force. I’m afraid we see it coming closer and closer unless we turn this thing around very soon."

Bill while I disagree with a lot of what you say, I often agree as well.

The reason the 'trial' in NYC is as you often put things retarded. First if he's found innocent they've already said they won't let him go. Secondly the Democrats say they are seeking justice. He's locked up now, has been water boarded (I agree we should waterboard these worthless terrorists but I also agree it doesn't always get us actionable intelligence) which you and Liberals would call tortured.

Since he's IN PRISON now, has been tortured, and will NEVER BE LET OUT, he's gotten justice. The trial is a tremendous waste of time, money, and even New Yorkers don't want the cost and the nightmare of logistics.

Pure stupidity. While I'm a social liberal and total economic conservative I think the trial is moronic.

The #1 issue in America is poverty. Poverty is caused by poor education and MAINLY dumb ass poor people having too many kids.

Therefore to reduce the numbers of poor people which will lower crime, lower people in prisons, lower people on welfare, lower the number of people without health insurance, lower the number of earned income tax credit (welfare) and lower the people on food stamps there is ONLY ONE SOLUTION.

PREVENT THE POOR FROM HAVING CHILDREN!! It solves all our society's problems and will lower our future deficits.

Problem is it will also reduce number of Democrats being elected as most Democrats are the poor and dumbest working class.

ZenGrouch, I read your blog and its totally apparent that you are an idiot. First Obama is an idiot, and I'll agree smarter than Bush, but not qualified to run this great country. If you had to find the top 1 million people most qualified he wouldn't be in that group. The real smart people in this country wouldn't go into public service if their lives depended on it and it would be a MASSIVE pay cut to do so.

I'm socially liberal - all for legalizing drugs, prostitution, allowing gays to marry, could care less about these things and victimless crimes. Let's tax the hell out of it too like we do all legitimate businesses. Consumption taxes would fix this inequity.

Economically I'm conservative, am a small business owner, make over 1/2 million a year and pay close to $200k a year in taxes. So I hate with a passion Dumb ass Democrats who spend MY money on the most moronic ideas that don't work, have horrible unintended consequences, cost a FORTUNE and put our country into debt.

You are responsible for YOU, I am responsible for me. We should have a very tiny federal government that protects us and leaves the rest to the states. If you live in a Democrat controlled cesspool like Detroit you can leave and go elsewhere where the cities and states are properly run!

Basically Democrats are thieves, maybe they want to help the poor and maybe they just want POWER I don't know but they are all criminal thieves stealing money from people like me who work hard, double the hours of the average idiot, make a lot of money and pay hundreds of thousands in taxes.

Health reform is a joke. You CAN buy a health care plan that is affordable. Get a $10k deductible medical savings account, it would save $800 to $1200 a month for a family plan and sock that savings into the MSA account and you'll have it for the deductible when you get sick and if healthy you come out way ahead. But Democrats are too stupid to figure out how things work.

I could go on an on about how retarded your policies are but EVERY one of them is a massive failure, costs 3x to 10x MORE than you dimwits 'estimate' it will cost.

Yes there are a lot of dumb asses in the Republican party but NOWHERE in comparison to the MILLIONS of welfare recipients, food stamps collecting, earned income tax credit (welfare) collecting Democrats. You morons have destroyed this country, good job.

I've NEVER met an intelligent Democrat, not ever. I've met many who THINK they're geniuses I suspect you are one of that category. I'd love to debate you and I'll prove to you that you aren't even 1/4 as smart as you think you are.

"I've NEVER met an intelligent Democrat, not ever. I've met many who THINK they're geniuses I suspect you are one of that category"...

First off Einstein, where did I ever say I was a Democrat? Secondly, I'm a member of Mensa for whatever that's worth, dealing with idiots like you who are stupid enough to believe that they really have something on the ball, because they can memorize the Republican's sound bite de 'jour.

The reason you never met a smart Democrat, is because you're so deep into the flock with your nose so way up the next sheep's asshole, you wouldn't know intelligence if it gave you AIDS.

Anyone reading your post can see that you're too stupid and narrow minded to actually pull down half a million a year, and just stupid enough to think that anyone believes your 'tard ass on that matter.

Mensa, ROFL! I have a 172 IQ but that in itself is pointless, its what you DO with your life and REAL accomplishments that really matter. You are a Democrat, you voted for Obama and that's not something any responsible or intelligent person would ever do. He's a C student at Columbia University and affirmative action got him into Harvard. He became a Illinois state senator by throwing his old mentor Alice Palmer under the bus in a very shady way and served less than ONE term as a US Senator with zero accomplishments. Only a total moron would have supported this guy. I know more about his history than you do which is another reason I have such disdain for public school idiots like you.

He's also broken EVERY one of his major campaign promises. ROFL at the idea that you truly believe you are intelligent.

I'm a Libertarian who votes Republican as I already overpay by a factor of 20x what a fair amount of tax would be. I subsidize losers like you who think they're so smart yet accomplish nothing and live off the teat of Government. I read your ridiculous blog, you can't even make a point without cussing, obviously due to the fact you are so UNHAPPY with your life. If you're a real genius you'd have become very wealthy in this country, it's too easy to do so whether you run your own business, trade stocks/futures/forex/options, buy/sell houses or a thousand other ways!

You probably think you're intelligent because you read the NY Times op-ed pieces by Krugman, Kristof, Bob Herbert, Maureen Dowd and Charles Blow and think that by your absorbing their socialist rhetoric you are INTELLIGENT? Again, ROFL!!!

As for my income, really don't care if you believe me or not. Democrats NEVER ARGUE issues but their policy is to try to divert the debate towards other areas and I'm too smart to fall for your Alinsky BS methods.

Liberals are basically people who think they're smart yet haven't accomplished one thing in their pathetic lives and have all kinds of wacky, grandiose ideas to improve the world using OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. Because its people like me you're trying to steal from is my hatred of you. Your hatred of me comes from your deep insecurities due to lack of accomplishing anything significant in your pathetic, angry life!

In my last post I told you I'm socially liberal, am all for legalizing drugs, prostitution and have NO PROBLEM WITH GAYS marrying. How does the above make me narrow minded YOU MORON! LOL as I said before you are NO PROBLEM to debate and you are coming off LESS INTELLIGENT than I even gave you credit for!

Is that the best you can do? I don't hang around Democrats as I'm married with children and time I take for myself other than work is on golf course and most people I play with are conservative. Doctors or fellow entrepreneurs who earned their wealth the old fashioned way, 80+ hour weeks of working smart for years usually before success even arrives. The reason people like you never achieve anything is #1 you're not even fractionally as intelligent as you THINK you are and you're lazy, unwilling to make the SACRIFICES that it takes for success. That's why people like me subsidize those like you who don't pay their FAIR share (which according to last reported IRS statistics is more than $10k per year in taxes. Most people don't pay 1/2 that much while those like me pay 20x. You should be thanking people like me who keep your over bloated government in existence!)

Anybody who makes $250k+ and pays a ton of taxes tends to be intelligent and conservative at least economically. Look at the cars that have Obama stickers on them. In my estimation the average value of said cars is somewhere between $2k to $8k. Something for nothing losers want things they are too dumb and lazy to provide for themselves and want me to pay more taxes. I just drive by those losers in my BMW 335 souped up with Vishnu chip and laugh. They may raise my taxes another $20k to $40k/yr through Obama's upcoming tax increases but their lives will be ruined by Obama's disastrous moronic policies and I'll continue to live the good life in beautiful Sarasota FL.

I notice in last few comments there's been no discussion of ISSUES so I'm assuming you're going to pass on my desire to debate you. It would have been fun but VERY damaging to your unsustainable EGO! ROFL.

What more do you want? I've shown you to be a lying fool... and I'm only reading the first one or two sentences of your posts!

Maybe I'm wrong and should read further, but you're a fucking idiot, not worthy of my time.

Geeze, I wound you up like a top and you take off, arguing with what you perceive to be an idiot, when you have an IQ of 172?!

What a horrible waste of human resources. Imagine, arguing with a stupid liberal, when you should be out there finding the cure for cancer, or in some Washington Think Tank, figuring out how to unfuck what Bush and Cheney managed to fuck up over an 8 year period!

No... you really are quite stupid, and it shows. But I imagine you use to hear a lot of that, until you decided to avoid those big bad Democrats at all costs.

Well at least you admit your stupidity and follow through. Too dumb and lazy to read a few sentences. Typical Democrat, too dumb to debate any issue and all you do is try to deflect. I came on here to destroy some liberals in a debate and you obviously are one of the dumber ones here. Your website is a joke, zero page rank, no incoming links and virtually zero traffic. Yeah, you're sure a genius wasting your time blogging about bullshit to YOURSELF. I'm probably the only person who read your blog only to find out the intelligence, or in this case the LACK of intelligence of a possible opponent. You're an idiot.

You were the one who refuted my claim that Democrats are idiots. I challenged YOU to a debate on any issue and you passed. That was a smart move as I would have wiped the floor with your liberal moron ass. :-) ROFL by loser.

You are a Democrat as you voted for that moron Obama and are sooo stupid you actually defend him! You're one of the 20+% dipshits that are so uneducated and misinformed that you actually like his policies and are too dumb to know you were lied to son! Less dumb liberals on other sites are mad as he'll at Obama for his lies and non transparent government. Go look up that word I know your stupid public school ass doesn't grasp it.

After seeing your picture Dan I feel very sorry for you so will leave you alone, you're older than I anticipated and apparently very pissed off your life ended up the way it did and I totally understand. I thought I was arguing with some punk kid not some guy who's online life and cat are the only things keeping him from blowing his head clean off. Oh yeah Liberals don't believe in guns. After seeing your picture it helps me understand the mentality of liberals who want to tax people in my income range more.

I DO have a lot of free time on my hands now as the years worth of 80+ hour work weeks creating my software product and getting the required traffic to our website is done. I have employees that handle the sales/support tasks and basically daytrade stocks,futures and forex each day, read news, and mess with dumb ass Democrats like you. ROFL. Basically whatever I want to do all day, the kind of life YOU could have had if you weren't so stupid and lazy Dan.

"You were the one who refuted my claim that Democrats are idiots. I challenged YOU to a debate on any issue and you passed"...

Thought I'd spend a few minutes to go back and actually read past the first sentence or two of your delightful posts, when the above caught my eye.

Now, if people avoid you like the plague, it's not because they're afraid of being ripped to shreds by your, undeniably superior wit and knowledge... it's because you've proved yourself to be a lying idiot, in near record time, with little help from others.

It's like you're a self winding dick. You're the Eveready Asshole.

Anyway, they're avoiding you, because debate on any issue would be a stupendous waste of time, ending with you entrapping yourself in a nonsense circular logic cluster fuck.

You sir, are not much more than a little *dingle bell* cat toy, that's fun to bat around for a while until your bell sound becomes annoying.

Not just any jerk off mind you, this is a super genius mastur-debator, lookin' for a little action! Hot-Cha-Cha!

But wouldn't ya' know it, once you bitch slap some asshole a couple times, who doesn't even have his shit together enough to come up with a fuckin' moniker, other than *no name bitch anon* cuz he's the hit 'n run type of no nut cunt that comes out on the losing end of this sort of thing so often, his tiny rebublicunt brain has a difficult time coming up with identities, once he's run through the names of all the voices dancin' around in his pathetic, diseased skull.

I am so happy you have a 172 IQ and work so hard. As you are way smarter than me I'll be benefitting from your inventions and the benefits you offer your fellow people, even though your contempt is crippling your ability to enjoy your own life.

Dan you have proven nothing other than how moronic you are. I'll debate you here anytime and check back periodically. I have 100% faith you are a chickenshit and won't debate me. I had hoped to find some of the idiots who love Bill Maher to debate with here but apparently the intelligence of his viewership is 20x lower than I anticipated.

You've not proven anything I've said is a lie and I know inside you are PISSED off that I have everything you THINK you should have but lack the drive, intelligence to accomplish. Anybody in my position would keep their identity anonymous and I have multiple reasons for doing so.

It's YOU who is the thieving moron, voting other idiots like Obama in that steal from people like me to give you free stuff you are too dumb and lazy to get for yourself.

Like I said before and remains true I have NEVER met an intelligent Liberal and like you so cowardly proved most are VERY afraid of debating the issues because their talking points can't be used in a debate, it takes real knowledge of the subject which you clearly have zero. At least other Libs I've debated online had BALLS, they went down in flames ultimately but I respect them for trying.

If you grow a pair I'll debate you but at your age I suspect you'll die before you'll risk a public shredding I'd give you. ROFL

You claim to have an IQ of 172, yet the logic you've shown here is clearly that of a child.

You claim to have spent "years" of 80 hour weeks developing a software package that is just now coming to market, yet you've been pulling down $500K a year.

Cool trick!

If you knew anything about software development, you'd know that nobody spends 2 years developing an initial package by themselves, burning through weeks, while making a profit.

By the time you would finish the package, the hardware it was designed to run on would be obsolete.

I know software scientists, and they don't take years developing anything.

Seriously, what kind of package can you have brought forth to the world, that would require years of development time, and how would you pull down a profit on this start-up company?

Now, to bring together a working staff of sales people, web site development and whoever else you claim to have hired, would take an ability to work with others.

Clearly working well with others is an ability you don't even come close to sharing, as demonstrated by your comment that you've never met an intelligent Democrat, or something along those lines.

You want to debate, OK, let's play, starting with debating whether or not you're an unfortunate deluded child suffering mental problems, or just a typical lying sack of shit republicunt, who couldn't think on his feet if his life depended on it.

Space an endless tapestry of stars, reaching toward infinity. Scattered through its vastness are 100 billion planets that might contain life. Of those planets, 100 million could contain intelligent life. The existence of intelligent life intrigues tomorrows scientists...

Nice try Dan! I'm not going to fall for your BAIT. You're an idiot and I would destroy you in a political debate as Democrat's policies are MORONIC! STILL WAITING dipshit. If you are as smart as you claim debate me or else shut up your public school, never made anything out of your life self.

As for my company I'm not going to discuss it because I came on here to discuss moronic Democrat policies. I actually think its funny that your ego can't handle anybody having so much more wealth and intelligence than you. It pisses you off so much you can't get off of it. I suspect it has more to do as a tactic to AVOID debate because you know you aren't as intelligent as I am and I'd destroy you. So believe what you want about me but if you DID THINK I'm a loser lying about my IQ and wealth then you should JUMP on the chance to publicly embarass me in a debate. The FACT is you know you'd lose to me, you know I'm smarter than you. You're right, I am.

Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible for you to provide links showing us that you are indeed NOT a total horse's ass of a lying sack of dung.

I'm just saying that I don't believe that there is anything out there backing up your boasts of being a masturdbater.

If there is a Santa Claus, you'll post some kind of shit, so that we can all see how well one of your psycho personalities translate from one site to another, as in, I'm curious to see how past claims match up with your current claims.

You sound like the kind of dip shit that at one time or another would claim to be a war hero, jet pilot, Navy Seal, while your Ma is worried to death about when you're gonna move out of the dank basement.

Still waiting for you Dan to debate the Democrats policies. Over and over you try to divert into other areas. It's irrelevent how successful I am or where I've debated in the past and if you REALLY felt I'm a liar, an idiot, you'd debate me NOW. But as I said before ALL DEMOCRATS are idiots and I've yet to meet 1 intelligent one. You prove my point in each of your messages.

Let's start with health care. Obama'a moronic health care 'reform' is a joke and even unconstitutional, would be overturned by the Supreme court as you can't legally force people to buy health insurance.

You liberals love to say how GREAT Canada's health care system is yet their own premier comes here to the US for heart surgery because he needed it NOW to live and didn't want to wait months like is common in Canada plus our medical technologies are far superior, they would have had to crack bones for their archaic heart surgery. Wait times there are 3-15x longer than here in the US.

The people in the US who do NOT have health care do NOT deserve it. I'm not responsible for YOUR IRRESPONSIBILITY Dan. Just because you can't afford health insurance doesn't mean I OWE it to you for being much smarter, harder working and achieving a dream life.

You own me? Hmm, only if "owning" means I'm 20 years younger, I earn 12-16 times more than you each and every year, have a super hot wife while the only pussy in your sad and pathetic life is your cat!

You're too much Dan! The only thing you think you have going for you is your suposed intelligence. That's why you won't debate me as I'd steal even that from you!!

I've explained my point of view so that even an idiot like you can understand, then I went on to also explain how you can simply lay down some links to put me in my place, just in case I were to be wrong, and you aren't a lying sack of shit.

You didn't bother, yet you're still here, presenting nothing to back up your assertion that I don't own your ass at this point in time.

Game's over, time for you to come back as... let's see, a successful proctologist perhaps, who lives in a house made out of solid gold?

Shit son, you're dying for a debate so you can cunt 'n paste some shit from one of your right wing nut sites, but when it comes to defending the diseased mental image of yourself you've presented here...

...well, my cat could *OWN* your ass in that department. But he already has a perfectly good dingle ball to play with for now.

The main reason I wouldn't reveal my identity is I have a wife and young children at home and honestly you look like a pervert at best and pedophile at worst. I'd have owned you if you had any courage or self respect, but typical for a moron democrat.

In America you don't even have to be super smart to become a millionaire. My parents did it and never earned more than $60k a year but saved and invested. All you have to do is have an idea that fills a need or solves a problem and work very hard!

Class envy is at the heart of how democrats get elected and Obama used it very effectively. Dan and other dems are so furious at the rich because of their own ignorance and incompetence at becoming rich.

Now, I'd think the person who is compelled to lie about his own failed life, is the one who needs to be a bit more introspective in order to get a surer footing so that you can grab yourself by the bootstraps and lift yourself out of your mom's dank basement.

So, rather than simply post a link to the site where you claimed to have throttled the stoopid Democrats, you go to the trouble of producing a bile filled video, which proves nothing, other than the owners of this house let you move their car so you can get your pool cleaning truck in their driveway?

Thanks for the show, I've never made anyone twist off is such spectacular fashion!

Not only do I own you, I've managed to burrow into your brain like a Martian cancer mite! Good luck with that!

Really, the video proves nothing other than maybe, your mom has a nice basement for you to live in.

Why go to the effort of producing and posting a video which proves nothing regarding your claims of being a Democrat slayer, business owner pulling a profit while still producing the product and a big brain with an IQ of 172?

In the video you said several times, "I told you..." when I remember no such things.

Look, I know your IQ isn't very high, so maybe you won't understand that you have proved nothing regarding your claims.

To do that, we'd have to take a specific claim, me telling you that that claim is bull shit, such as you being a slayer of Dumb Democrats on the Internet, THEN *you* showing me to be mistaken in my assumption that you're full of shit.

Still with me?

OK, you've showed that you're savy enough to post a link.

Now, all you got to do is post a link showing me that you are indeed the slayer of dumb democrats.

And while you're at it, show me where I said you're not a man of means.

There are a lot of rich idiots out there, and most of 'em drive BMW's, by my observations.

What I questioned, was how you could bring down half a million a year, working 80 hour days producing a product, building a company and employing people when you're such an obviously negative asshole, when it comes to interfacing with others?

And, what kind of software package takes two years to develop?

So, Mr. Big Brain... why did you not jump on any of the things I've thrown out there for you to show me that I'm wrong in thinking the worst of you?

Geeze, now with that video, I'm thinking you're even loonier than I did before.

I wasn't sure before, but I'm pretty fucking sure now, that you have serious mental problems.

Dan you're an idiot and hate all people like me. I just came on here to debate pathetic losers like you. You punked out and before leaving I gave you a look at how real intelligence plays out in the real world.

I hate assholes like you because of the additional taxes I pay for losers like you and your moronic democrat ideas. I figure I've paid $1- $1.5 million more taxes than is fair because of your ilk. I know I've gotten under your skin, I own you loser. You can find me debating on NY times comment site, newsweek, huffington post, etc. I didn't provide links to you because you are beneath me. I don't take orders from my inferiors!! ROFL I will savor this victory for years!!

Bill.....up here in Canada we're wondering if you guys down there could cut the crap......you're making you're neighbors nervous....c'mon you guys can't figure out you're debating while the Empire burns.....

I understand why Obama is handing a olive branch to the republicans to get there envolvement. I understand but I didn't say I agree. But if he doesn't get a single republican endorsement for his health plan, why not remove the incentive from the plan. By keep the republican incentives aren't we teaching them that by saying "no" they can have anything they want?

Hi Newbie here. As I understand it, all the politisions have free, or next to free, "state of the art" healthcare FOR LIFE. We the people should take this away. They need to use the plan they come up with for us! Also, if we own AIG and other companies that took SO MUCH bailout money. Why can't we just have a NATIONAL bluecross blueshield type plan, run by them privatly, but as a NONPROFIT company???? Without the profit mongering barriers to coverage that the for profit COs use. Welcome back Bill, I've been missing Real Time, and am happy to see you back.

Another Canuck here folks, g'day eh? ZenGrouch, it's good to hear some praise for the Canadian system, my personal experience has been good with it, 3 hip replacement operations and colon cancer surgery, total cost nothing out of pocket, of course we do pay higher taxes, no idea what the numbers are, but income tax here is about about 30 % for a guy who makes 50 000 a year, we do OK, hate to admit it, cause who likes to pay taxes, and it's not a perfect system. Anyway, I don't think the problem is just with Health care in the States, it has to do with profit, which is the big difference in the two systems. If you can elect a government you can trust ( lol) you can do everything the HMO's do FOR COST. NO PROFIT. That might seem simplistic, but in Canada, for the most part (some surgery is done privately, laser eye surgery, elective stuff, for the most part) the doctors and nurses are paid by the government, so costs ae much more controllable. Doctors still make 2-3 hundred k a year, they ae fine, some complain but tough titty I say. I think France and England have better systems, but ours is not bad. Yes we have problems, but nothing like what I have seen in the States. The insurance companies don't have so much power here either. But back to trust. With respect, you have serious problems, problems that go beyond crooked insurance companies, as you know very well I am sure. There is a burning need for justice in the WTC affair, and from here in the far north, it is clear that until you get control of the country, you will never get control of healthcare or anything else. The idea that America can consume 5 times as much as most of the other countries in the world might be sustainable if it was based on real work, real product, but there are people in charge in America who see the world as something to be conquered, controlled, witness your military and the ways it is being used - America breeds fear now, not respect as it once did. I don't say this lightly, or gleefully, I worry for you all very much, because I know full well how important you are to us here in Canada, and I fear for you all. The vast majority of you are just like me, so if I am frustrated I can only try to imagine how most Americans must feel abut their government. Some terrible things have transpired, and I sincerely hope Obama is succesful in turning it around. The rule of law is the only logical place to start. Step one should be a new 911 investigation. Sorry to be a partypooper.

You are arguing the details of your (I hope) exotic experience. WEhat we challenge, rightly, id the twisted bullshit leechislation that has crippled every good value and ideal of this OUR nation since the Europeans monarchs got a hand over on us in 1863 by assassinating our best leader.

If you see Sarah Palin getting serviced there, advise her to stay in Canada.